Why do we have religion? This is a topic I think about a lot. I am not religious and as I have aged, I think the need for religion becomes unnecessary in a world of reason and science. This is the half-full view. The other side of this coin is I think there is a strong case to be made that religion is also quite destructive, and should be eliminated accordingly.
The Crusades were a campaign aimed at recovering the ‘Holy Land’ from Muslim rule. The term "Crusades" is also applied to other church-sanctioned campaigns. These efforts were largely about killing others who did not pray to the exact version of their God. While the Crusades were specifically the result of Christian doctrine, this view is generally shared amongst all religions.
So with that in mind, I think the first reason we have religion is this innate feeling mankind has that there is a higher power. We are prone to ponder our existence and the meaning of life. As we explore this intellectual rabbit hole, one possibility is our purpose is the result of this powerful guiding hand. I must confess that I too wonder about this possibility. Even today, I cannot totally rule out there is a creator, but our growing knowledge and understanding of this world strongly suggest that it is highly unlikely.
The second reason for religion is that the existence of God(s) has provided a way for us to reconcile our world and the many unknowns. From a historical perspective, it is pretty easy to understand why religion came into existence. It is not hard to imagine many thousands of years ago that events like hurricanes, earthquakes, plague, famine, the sun, moon and stars were the result of God’s creation, displeasure or affirmation. An easy answer for a world that was not well understood.
The one unknown that every human contemplates is death. This is a very scary proposition with generally two options, finality or something more. And God knows which one is more palatable. So depending on the religion and God(s) that you happen to ascribe to, you are generally provided a convenient and easily understood package that allows you to contemplate a future. In many instances, the religious answer is that we continue in some fashion whether that is in another place, like Heaven, or here on Earth provided through a new body and life. In my mind, and based on a growing knowledge of our world, there is little question that the likely reality is we only have one chance at this life. A conclusion that I find depressing and would prefer not to accept. Instead, religion lets all believe that those who go before us are in a ‘better place’, and waiting for us to allow for a grand and emotional reunion. And just to put the cherry on top, we get to remain in this place of bliss and tranquility with all those we love, for eternity. This assumes that in the only life we are certain of, we have met some moral and behavioral threshold that allows us entrance after we have been judged by our God.
So this condition of morality and good behavior during our Earthly life has a nice ancillary benefit of controlling and managing the masses. Religion has afforded many leaders the two-pronged benefit of being a source of power being the conduit to omnipotence and control over society. This creates a strong motivation for people in or, that desire power, to instill these tenants in a society that is either controlled by religion or at least highly influenced by religion.
So the titled irony that our fear of death has resulted in death for many of us, is both a shocking and mysterious reality for me. The basic premise being we are religious as a result of this core fear of mortality and religion is the greatest source of premature death throughout our history; probably infant mortality is higher. Every war for the past 2000 years is either directly or effectively caused by religion. I would suspect that our human tribal condition is fueled by religion. In one way or another, religion is responsible for all wars and human conflict through the vast majority of human history. The result has been untold and significant death. At minimum, this is ironic. In actuality, it is a vicious circle and reality demonstrating the self-destructive nature of the human condition.
Galileo is one famous scientist that found themselves in conflict with religion. In an odd twist of fate, his scientific studies were funded by the Catholic Church. However, when he concluded that the Earth orbited the Sun, his inquisition began. This is one example of the long history of science and religion being in conflict. When will the reality of science allow society at large to see that religion is no longer something modern society needs.?
Today religion finds itself in an interesting period. As our society improves its knowledge and reason and can communicate this thinking to larger and larger portions of society, one would presume people will become less religious. Secularism and atheism have seen growth, particularly in the last ten years. That being said, religion still has a firm grasp on large portions of our world. Today, religion is still causing the deaths of many. And this likely will not go away anytime in the near future.
Will we ever overcome this fear as a species, or will it result in the end of humanity?